Shakespeare High: Of Bea, Ben, Rory and Claude
by Christiana James
Summary: Much Ado About nothing with a modern twist. The first of the Shakespeare High series.
1. Bea and Rory

Chapter One: Bea and Rory

The alarm went off at precisley five o'clock. Hearing her cousin shut it out, Bea rolled over in her bed and groaned. One of the downsides of sharing a room with her over zealous cousin was her insane habit of waking two hours before it was necessary in order to help their live in maid make breakfast.  
The two had been sharing a room for the past six months due to the delays their new house had had in construction.  
Her cousin's room, they had been told would be ready in two weeks time. Bea had found it quite amusing in an ironic sort of sense that they would also be returning to school in two weeks and that she was doomed to have no sleeping in this summer. Though she knew her cousin, Rory, meant only to be helpful.

Bea had lived with her uncle Leonard and his daughter, Hero, or Rory as she was more commonly called,  
since she was seven, when her parents along with her aunt, Rory's mother, were killed in a car crash. Her uncle had then raised the girls with help from their maid Ursula. They had only moved to Messina four months ago just in time to catch the end of their freshman year at Shakespeare High. Bea was still adjusting to the place, but her uncle had jumped in whole heartily. Even now he was running for mayor of the town and was quite favored to win. As his running mate, Peter Arragon, was currently away, Bea had been helping her uncle with his campaign. She had to admit she quite liked politics. It was a place her witty tongue came in great use.  
For her tongue was legend as was her respective wit.

"Bea," came her cousin's voice from downstairs. "Do you want eggs and bacon or waffles?"

"I want to sleep," replied Bea drowsily.

I swear, she thought irritably. That girl is going to make me fat with all her cooking.

Rory however was not deterred. "Bea," she called again. "If you like all bring it up to you on a tray."

Hmmm now that sounded good. Before she could respond, however she heard the back door slam and her uncle called to both girls that he needed to see them at once. Grumbling Bea threw on a robe and ran downstairs.  
She found Rory, her uncle and Ursula all in the den, along with a tray of eggs, bacon and waffles set out for her.  
Cursing calories in general, she dug in.

"What did you need us for, dad?" Rory asked.

"I just got a phone call for Peter," replied Leonard excitedly. "He arrived home from camp last night."

"I thought the camp wasn't over for another week," said Ursula with a slight frown. "Did something go wrong?"

"No," Leonard quickly. "Nothing like that, actually it was good news that brought them home."

"Oh," interjected Bea eagerly. "Did Ben brake a leg or something?"

"No indeed," replied her uncle.

"Ah, then I will continue to hope," sighed Bea.

"Why, I dare ask, do you constantly wish misfortune on that poor boy?" asked Ursula.

"Poor indeed."

"Oh, Ursula, Bea means it all in jest." consulted Rory.

"Do I?" inquired Bea with a raised eyebrow. "But pray uncle please continue with your news."

"Oh, of course," said Leonard. "Well from what I hear, Peter has a new player for the team."

"Oh! Who is he?" asked Rory slightly breathless with excitement.

"His name is Claude Florence," replied Leonard. "He just moved here."

"Oh joy," said Bea. "More testosterone to cloud the halls of Shakespeare."

"So why exactly did they come home from football camp early?" asked Ursula.

"To let the rest of the team get acquainted with Claude," replied Leonard. "He has high hopes for the boy."

"What sort of a boy is he, I wonder," mused Bea.

"A rich one to begin," answered her uncle. "He's suppose to be a very good football player as well."

"Oh I hope," returned Rory. "We need a better season than last year's."

" While this is all good and well," Bea cut in. "How does Peter's new player affect us exactly. I mean to say, why did you call me downstairs?"

"Because we are having all the team around for supper tonight as a favor to Peter."replied her uncle.

Bea choked on her coffee. "What?!?" she spluttered. "You're inviting him over here?"

"Yes, Beatrice," replied her uncle. "Benedick Padua is a member of SHS's football team, therefore he is invited."

"Oh this should be fun." 


	2. Ready?

Chapter Two: Ready 

Hours later found Beatrice and Rory upstairs in their room getting ready. Rory had carefully planned out her outfit earlier and had made sure it had been cleaned and ironed. She, Rory, was now stamding in front of her mirror checking her appearance.  
She wore a pair of khakis, a modest pale blue blouse and a pair of plain gray flats. everything about her appearance from her sandy hair and gray eyes to her size six feet were neat and cute. That was simply what she was. No matter what she tried, she could never shake that image.

"How do I look, Bea?" asked Rory smoothing her khakis and turning from her mirror.

"Absolutely adorable, as usual," replied Bea, not even looking from her mirror as she applied her lip gloss.

"Thank you," returned Rory with a sweet smile. "Turn around and let me see you, Bea"

Bea sighed but did as she was asked.

"Oh, _Bea_," breathed Rory. "You're a dream."

Unlike her cousin, Beatrice had dark brown shimmering hair that curled quite nicely. She had always kept it long and normally wore it down, styled in various ways of course. She skin was a sort of sun kissed ivory that many girls paid big bucks to achieve. Everything thing about her, from her glittering brown eyes to her lean stature gave off an air of foreboding sophistication. Tonight she wore a pair of faded and torn designer jeans, a fitted, shortsleved crimson blouse and a pair of brown leather stilettos. She wore only the slightest bit of makeup, though for her it wasn't really necessary. Bea had always been gorgeous.

"You think?" she asked her cousin a bit ingeniously. "How's the blouse."

"Lovely," replied Rory. "You know well how dark colors become you."

"The way light colors do you, cousin," returned Bea with a smile. "But, Rory, try just a tad of blue eye shadow and pale lipstick."

"Oh, of course!" And with that Rory turned back to her mirror.

Bea watched her for a moment. "This sudden uncharacteristic primping doesn't have anything to do with a certain Claude, does it?"

Even from her cousin's reflection in the mirror, Bea could see a tinge of pink touch Rory's cheeks.

"I confess that it does," whispered Rory, still not looking at Bea.

"Let me advise you then," said Bea. "Wear her pretty white headband and smile, no one can help but like you when you smile."

Rory smiled, "Thank you, Bea." as she opened a drawer and pulled out her pre mentioned headband. "You know," she added slyly.  
"You're going to knock Ben dead tonight when he sees you."

"One can only hope he remains that so," quipped Bea. "Dead I mean, of course."

"Hmmm," replied Rory. "I was under the impression that he was your reasoning for looking so nice."

"I gave barely any thought to him if truth be told. Except the dread of seeing him leer at me once more."

Just then the doorbell rang and Ursula could be heard calling them downstairs to greet their guests.

_Joy_.


	3. In Which Bea and Ben Argue

Sorry it' s been so long! I promise that I will put up a chaper at least once a week from now on. Well...Enjoy and Review, please!**  
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**Chapter Three: In Which Bea and Ben Argue and Rory and Claude Meet**

Rory was downstairs in a flash, eager as always to please. Bea was not so eager, nor was she at all pleased. Seating herself in from of her mirror once more, she listened carefully to the voices downstairs.

"Ah, Peter," she heard her uncle say. "Welcome, _welcome_! Come in all of you. We will be eating out on the deck. Come in, _come in_."

"Leonard," came Peter's voice. "Never have I known anyone to so willingly invite trouble into his house as you do."

To which she heard her uncle say. "Never have I seen trouble that came in such a friendly manner, my friend."

Everyone had a good laugh at that one, but when the laughter had generally died down, Bea heard another voice chime in. One she recognized _all _too well.

"Speaking of trouble," it said. "Where is you niece, Leonard? I admit I was quite looking forward to seeing her, _disdainful _though she might be."

Bea's eye's narrowed and she swept from her bedroom to stand at the top of the stairs.

"Ah, my dear Benedict," said she, knowing she looked well indeed framed at the top of the stairway. "Your voice carries so loudly it nearly gave me a headache all the way up in my room."

Almost the entire Shakespeare High football team was congregated there, along with her uncle and Peter, who as coach could also be considered part of the team. Bea's eyes immediately found the newest member of the group, a rather tall gangly looking boy whom she knew at once was Claude. Others she knew well were also there, Duke, who was captain of the team, Richard, or Rick, a tall, burly safety and several others. Bea's main attention, in mush be noted, was focused on the tall, dark haired guy who had turned rather sharply at her words. Benedict Padua was not a bad looking guy, quite the opposite actually. He had brown hair that fell in such away that_ just was_, it could not be achieved even with the best hair dresser and copious amounts of product. He was tall, as previously mentioned, with a handsome face and startlingly blue eyes.

"Ah, my dear _Beatrice_," he said. "Alive still? I would have thought that over time you poison tongue might turn on it's mistress."

"How could I let myself die in such a way when you lived to be tormented?" Bea returned.

The others watched this exchange in interest, heads back and forth as though observing a tennis match.

"I'll never get it," Ben was saying. "I'll never understand why you hate me so much. It certainly has nothing to do with lack of sex appeal, because other girls fall all over me. Though I can't truthfully say I like any of them."

"A great happiness to my sex," snapped back Bea. "But I must agree with you on one score, the whole dating in high school thing seems a bit stupid, for lack of a better word. I've never yet met a guy of that sort who wasn't too busy staring at my ass to listen to what I was saying."

The team roared with laughter.

"God, keep you in that mind set so some poor guy will certainly escape a scratched face."

More laughter.

Bea waited until the second roar of laughter had subsided slightly before she answered.

"Scratching could hardly make a face such as your's any worse, I'm afraid."

Still more laughter.

"You certainly are a clever little parrot, aren't you?" Ben shot back.

"As apposed to a beast such as you, I suppose," snapped Bea.

"My God, If my car were as fast as your tongue," said Ben. "But that's it I'm done." and with that he strode down the hallway presumably to the deck.

"Ben always loves his cheap shots," said Bea softly with a shake of her magnificent head. "He hasn't changed a bit."

"No," agreed Peter. "But you, Bea, have gotten even prettier since last I saw you."

Bea smiled. "And I don't believe we've met," she added to Claude. "I'm Beatrice, may I be the first to welcome you."

"Thank you," replied Claude, who, though slightly transfixed by her, shook her outstretched hand all the same. "I'm Claude."

"And this is my Uncle Leonard, Claude," said Bea indicating the man. "And my cousin is-"

"Right here," Rory appeared from the kitchen, Ursula at her heels. She blushed terribly as she noticed Claude. "Oh, hello."

Claude looked every bit as tongue tied. "Hello um, Rory, right?"


End file.
